Curse of the Snake
by CelloSolo2007
Summary: After Oro forces complete control over the Curse Seal, Sasuke quickly realizes Orochimaru is anything but a kind master. This is how Sasuke trained during those two years as Orochimaru's student. Includes slight supernatural torture and plenty of action!
1. Curse of the Snake

**Curse of the Snake**

_By: Sapphire_

Sasuke walked down the dark hall, between Orochimaru and Kabuto. He was somewhat proud that he'd managed to glare at both of them, not showing any weakness, as if their power wasn't good enough. He kept his scowl on as Kabuto leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Sasuke-kun, you may not realize it, but that's Orochimaru-sama in front of you." Sasuke didn't care.

"Get the hell out of my face", he hissed back, not caring if Orochimaru heard it.

Orochimaru entered another dark room and stopped, not turning around. Sasuke, keeping a safe distance away, stopped as well. "Sasuke-kun, why did you come to me? What is it you want from me?"

Sasuke glared at the floor. "You know why. I want enough power to murder Itachi."

Orochimaru laughed softly, still not turning around. "But, Sasuke-kun, you already have that power." Suddenly, on cue, Kabuto stepped forward and grabbed Sasuke, one arm pinning his arms, the other across his neck. Sasuke struggled as Orochimaru whipped around, his eyes excited and dangerous. "You simply can't control it."

With a smirk, Orochimaru's eyes widened, the pupils turning to slits as the room became darker and two snakes appeared out of absolutely nowhere, wrapping themselves around Sasuke's arms as he struggled violently. Orochimaru took a step toward him, saying in a dark voice, "Because you can't control it, Sasuke-kun. IT controls YOU."

**THROB**

"KAAGH!" Sasuke winced as the curse mark awakened, fighting off Kakashi's Fuja Hoin. He struggled against Kabuto and the snakes, but he was effectively stuck hanging in spread-eagle. He glared up at Orochimaru as he advanced. "Sasuke-kun, you of all people should know that, in order to gain something, you must lose a lot. Lose your freedom, and gain the memory of your brother's murder. Lose Kakashi's seal, and you will gain power."

Sasuke had no choice. He knew before he came that this would happen. Kabuto released him, and he fell to his knees, limp, held up only by the snakes. He thought of Naruto and Sakura. The dobe and the useless kunoichi. He thought of his brother's deadly eyes with anger. Orochimaru was right; he had to give up his friends to murder his brother. There was no other way. Itachi had to die. No matter what happened to himself on the way.

Orochimaru smirked. He could feel the boy's spirit break. He closed his yellow eyes, focusing on Sasuke-kun's familiar mark. He found it and commanded it to break free of Kakashi's seal.

**THROB**

Sasuke's eyes flew open as he gasped. The curse mark burned, spreading its flames towards Kakashi's seal, destroying it and spreading across his neck. He cringed as they moved further. He saw a fleeting memory of how much blood Kakashi had put into that seal.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru said softly. The black flames had covered Sasuke's torso, but this time, they kept going, further than he'd ever allowed it to spread himself. Clenching his fists, Sasuke tried to block out Orochimaru's voice, trying to hold his pride, his strength. The marks had covered his body like fiery spots. He groaned, barely able to feel whether he was still pulling against the snakes holding his arms.

Orochimaru walked up as Sasuke tensed and tried to draw back, still glaring. He knelt at Sasuke's eye level and said, "You're more like me than you'll ever know, Sasuke-kun. Holding a potential that no one ever bothers with, wanting a vengeance that no one else agrees with. We share the same destiny, Sasuke-kun." With that, he opened his piercing yellow eyes, staring straight into Sasuke's, seeing beyond them, into his soul, into his mind. Another forbidden jutsu he'd created himself.

Sasuke gasped, not being able to move. He couldn't fight it; it was not like any genjutsu he'd ever been trapped in. Not even like his brother's damn Tsukuyomi. It was like looking into a snake's eyes, a demon's eyes. He shuddered and turned his head away, not knowing what Orochimaru could see.

Orochimaru was amazed at the anger Sasuke felt within. It was so much like the anger that he had felt himself as a child, the anger that fueled his goal, the hatred that made it so easy to kill people. Finally, someone who felt the same as he once did. Without opening his eyes, he filled his hand with his enhanced chakra and grabbed Sasuke's neck with it, his nails sinking into the curse mark.

**THROB**

"KAAAAHHHH!!!" Sasuke seized up, screaming as the curse mark reacted and began spreading a second time. But this time, it wasn't just marking his skin; it was spreading _**within**._

Orochimaru smirked and used his free hand to push against Sasuke's chest, pushing him backwards, while the snakes around his arms pulled forward, keeping him from thrashing away. Sasuke threw his head back in agony, feeling the curse mark's flames spread within, wrapping around his chakra veins like thorns, poisoning them with the dark power. His muscles reacted and he seized up painfully against Orochimaru's hands and the snakes with a gasp.

Orochimaru's eyes shone with eagerness as he released the child and stepped back. If the child's chest wasn't restrained, he probably would have hyperventilated like the other nine victims of the Cursed Seal of Heaven had - before they died from the massive seizure that followed. Anko had passed out before that happened, as did Sasuke-kun. But she had never awakened it afterwards. Another reason Sasuke-kun was so valuable. Once the dark power took over his chakra, he would be forever bound to his plans, ready to become the supreme piece in the sannin's game.

Sasuke barely noticed, all he could feel was the pain from the seal as it took over his chakra, shooting pain throughout his body. He cried out as the dark marks reached his spinal cord, wrapping around the chakra veins there tightly. He began to convulse painfully as the muscles around his spine reacted, jerking his limbs hard against the snakes that were holding them back.

Kabuto quietly backed out of the room as Orochimaru watched Sasuke in fascination. _"Pain is merely weakness leaving the body, Sasuke-kun. With this power, you will never be weak again."_

It was getting too much for Sasuke, as he screamed again, too weak to try struggling against the snakes. His chakra veins were out of control, franticly mixing with the dark power, and he barely had enough energy left to scream. Eyes shut tight, teeth clenched, his head slumped forward as Orochimaru leaned down to whisper in his ear. _"Vengeance is our destiny, Sasuke-kun."_ Sasuke shuddered and blacked out, his wrists slipping as the snakes let go, letting him fall to the floor at Orochimaru's feet, soft laughter echoing around the room.

---------E---------K---------U---------S---------A---------S---------

Sasuke awoke dizzy, sore, and alone. With dread, he remembered where he was; that he had no free will, and that his fate was in Orochimaru's hands. His damn curse seal was throbbing faintly, but not as strong, almost in time with his heartbeat. It felt different, like it was distributed across his whole body. Heck, for all he knew, it was Orochimaru's way of controlling his every footstep.

Uninterested, he glanced around his room. It was dreary and dark, with a simple bed with a hard pillow, clearly showing that he was getting no prince treatment here, he was just another one of Orochimaru's subordinates, if not lower. The only decoration was a small cloth on the wall, with one black symbol on it. It looked slightly familiar. "_It's the symbol on Orochimaru's earrings"_, he realized. Those earrings must be a key of some sort.

He didn't bother giving the door a second glance. It was definitely locked. He hadn't been locked up many times before. He allowed himself a small grin at the memory of Naruto managing to tie him up on their first day as a team, but he'd only allowed himself to be tied up so that he could see exactly what the idiot had in mind.

His shoulders relaxed as he realized he wouldn't have many fond, bright memories for a long time, if he survived Orochimaru at all. _"I don't care what happens to me, as long as I get revenge on Itachi. If I have the chance, I hope I can kill him with a sword, as well."_

As the familiar anger rose up again, he looked to the ceiling, wondering, _"What have I gotten myself into?"_

**Chapter End**

**Author's note**: Well, there's my first fanfic ever. My friend, Ayla, wrote all the other stories on this account, I just tagged along till I found a good fandom. As for this chapter, I'm pretty sure Orochimaru probably can't really do most of that stuff, but I wanted to explore that ruthlessness hinted in the anime.

The eye contact part- Orochimaru feeling someone's emotions- was based on what happened to young Kimimaro in episode 126. And I put that Orochimaru felt hatred as a teen as well, because his family's never shown, and people don't just become like him without feeling some kind of intense anger in their lives. Please review, constructive criticism, or anything, just no flames please, first fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; anime, manga, or anything else.

**_-Sapphire_**


	2. A Morning Talk

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 2: A Morning Talk

_**By Sapphire and Narroch**_

A horrible, agonized scream woke Sasuke a few hours later, the jaw clenching noise vomited down the hall and ricocheted off the stone lined walls. It was impossible to ignore and it easily dredged him up from his fitful slumber. He instantly tensed, noting the exact position of the door, and planning how to jump out of bed, spin around and defend himself if someone attacked. Another scream echoed through the halls outside, slightly weaker and gargled. Sasuke relaxed slightly, remembering his location. It was only someone was being tortured only a few rooms down the hall. Just torture…no problem, considering the various other things Orochimaru could do.

He'd figured that Orochimaru conducted human experiments. It was apparent in the snake Sannin's piercing eyes that peeled people down layer by layer, as if he were pulling back their skin in a mental dissection. It was apparent in his calm, mocking voice he'd used the day before, as he forced the Curse Seal to spread. A final scream reverberated through the walls, being abruptly cut off. _'Well, there's one less person to stare at me through those jail cells.'_ Sasuke thought as he tried to relax enough to return to sleep.

A few hours later, Kabuto unlocked the door, holding a black bundle. Sasuke had been lying in a semisomnus state, thinking of the layout of the rooms in the old Uchiha estate. He awoke but didn't move, wondering what Kabuto would do.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you know that the breathing pattern of a sleeping person has a unique rhythm that only a few people can mimic. Therefore, it's useless to try to pretend that you're asleep."

Sasuke felt his old grin return as he calmly turned over to face the medic-nin. He had an idea of how to act around Orochimaru, now he had to re-evaluate Kabuto since the character he met during the Chuunin exams was just a mask, and Kabuto was really just a spy playing pretend. "And to what do I owe this honor?", he asked, specifically referring to Orochimaru as a _**what.**_

As curious as Kabuto was to explore the Uchiha's personality, he had orders to follow. With a small, boyish grin, Kabuto tossed the black bundle in his arms to Sasuke. "Put that on and be ready to leave in five minutes. That will be your training outfit, which you will wear everyday unless ordered by Orochimaru-sama to do otherwise."

Sasuke caught it underhanded and gracefully flipped out of bed, heading for the small, attached bathroom without a word. Four and a half minutes later, he placed the wet toothbrush on the cleanest washcloth he could find and headed out, feeling like an idiot in the stereotypical skin-tight black ninja outfit. Kabuto was still waiting, leaning against the doorframe. Sasuke noticed that there was a small stain of drying blood on Kabuto's shirt, the dark crimson patch turning brown around the edges, and wondered if he'd participated in the murder that took place in the room down the hall earlier.

"Follow.", was Kabuto's only word as he started down the hall. Sasuke obeyed with his regular frown on. They walked in silence for a few minutes, passing the room next door, which had three bloody fingerprints stained on the doorknob. Sasuke planned out his questions, then asked the first one. "Somehow, out of everyone here, I figured you'd be at least halfway sane." motioning with his eyes to the incriminating bloodstain.

Kabuto paused, glanced down at his soiled shirt and then resumed walking, a smile forming on his lips. "Sasuke-kun, we're _shinobi._ We dress in kimonos and try to fry other shinobi's internal organs. Compared to regular people who spend all day running market shops to feed their families all their lives, how sane can any of us be?"

Sasuke had to agree. That was better than Kakashi-sensei had put it. "But we're no more than tools. How we live our lives or gain power has no meaning in the end. Our sanity has no meaning, as long as it doesn't affect how useful we are. How do we define insanity, anyway?"

Kabuto smiled. "You tell me, Sasuke-kun. It's said that people can only take a certain amount of stress before the mind wears down. That's why many of our Jonin behave they way they do. They've seen too many murders, felt too much pain." Kabuto lowered his head as he continued. "So have you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke frowned. That hit a sore spot. Unbidden thoughts of the massacre and his brother's Tsukuyomi arose, and he blocked them and repressed them with the anger that followed as usual. Doing so had almost become a habit. He only thought about it when he was training, or when he was completely alone. No one should ever see the weakness in his face, in his eyes.

They were walking past the prison gates now. Sasuke looked at the prisoners, uninterested, careful not to speed up or slow down, which would show that he was concerned about them, which he wasn't. He could hear some of their whispers.

"_Yeah, kid, enjoy it while you're on _that_ side of the bars._"

"_I'll bet that curse mark's even more of a curse than that damn Orochimaru himself!_"

"_I wonder if the kid'll die before we get killed._"

"_Does that kid even know who he's dealing with?!_"

"_Damn that Kabuto. Leading another child to his doom, I see."_

"_Is Orochimaru brainwashing kids now, too? It almost looks as if he **wants** to be here!_"

Vaguely, Sasuke wondered if he'd ever get the chance to kill any of them. Most of them were probably captured trespassers or family members of Orochimaru's victims. There were a few women and children. He remembered when he first came in; there was a cell with only men, all of whom were beaten up, barely conscious. He wondered what had happened before he showed up.

They were walking through Orochimaru's version of a living room now. A cracked mirror hung over a table that held a lit candle, a stack of dusty books, and some corked bottles of preserved reptile parts. Sasuke noted that they could make good projectiles in a desperate last-ditch battle. The acidic liquid and broken glass could probably temporarily blind an opponent long enough.

He was memorizing the basic floor plan as they walked. It was a standard shinobi rule; get to know your location when in a new place, it could come in handy if a fight breaks out. Kabuto slowed down when they entered the kitchen, picking up a plate and glass as he walked past. "This will be your breakfast, Sasuke-kun. I will be bringing your meals to you until you gain enough of Orochimaru-sama's trust to come here as you wish."

Sasuke grinned. "So, you're equal to a common maid around here? I figured you'd have a higher position."

Kabuto paused, adjusting his glasses, that small smirk once again angling his face. "It _is_ the highest position. I'm one of the few people around who has lived to see Orochimaru-sama's face more than twice. The other subordinates who have done so are now dead, thanks to you."

"I never killed those four. They seemed perfectly fine when they gave me that poison."

"Yes, but your so-called friends now have their blood on their hands."

"…Ha. At least they finally did something useful."

They reached Sasuke's room again. "Sasuke-kun, I'd advise you to not speak that way to Orochimaru-sama. You are still an expendable person to him. Far lower than the Sound Four, and Orochimaru-sama did not hesitate to send them on the mission to retrieve you, knowing full well that they would most likely never make it through."

He handed the plate of food and cup of water to Sasuke. "You will report to Orochimaru-sama for training in two hours. I'd advise you to begin exercising beforehand. Ja ne."

Sasuke walked in and closed the door, hearing Kabuto walk away, not locking the door. His breakfast was a small mound of white rice, a small Tamagoyaki, and some Aonori. He looked for a clock in the room, but there was nothing. If Kabuto didn't show up in two hours to tell him, Orochimaru would naturally be in a perfect position to take it out on Sasuke.

As if Sasuke cared if Orochimaru got pissed. He wasn't trying to impress anyone. He just wanted to gain power and get out. If Akatsuki made their move while he was busy wasting his time pretending to be Orochimaru's apprentice, he'd never live it down.

_Ha.I may have chosen not to gain power the way Itachi did, but this was still one hell of a drastic move._ He picked up the Tamagoyaki, halfheartedly remembering the plates of food he, Naruto, and Sakura had chipped in for, in the hopes of seeing Kakashi-sensei unmasked. He let out a small sigh. _'Itadakimasu.'_

**Chapter End**

**Author's note (Sapphire):** This chapter was totally thanks to Narroch! She got this to be a multichaptered fic. Because I really was planning to end this at Chapter 1. So, now, this fic will focus on Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Kabuto, and how they survive each other until the two and a half years are up. It will have plenty of action, and some of Orochimaru and Kabuto's sadistic glory. That might eventually get this fic rated a light M. So no shockers.

However, this fic will not have any romance whatsoever. No yaoi, or anything. But there may be a few references when we get into Orochimaru's head. Because we have to acknowledge this crazy attraction he seems to have to teenage guys. He's my favorite character, but he's got such a complex personality. So, anyway, the next chapter will have plenty more action, with Orochimaru and his version of training. All the chapters will have more action than this, I just figured Sasuke needed a little intoduction first.

Here's some of the Japanese words I used:

Ja ne – 'Bye

Itadakimasu- phrase said before starting to eat

Tamagoyaki – a Japanese breakfast egg roll

Aonori- an edible seaweed

And semisomnus means to be half awake, half asleep. Like right after your alarm clock goes off, and you go semisomnus until it rings again ten minutes later…

Also, does anyone know what the words are in Orochimaru's music theme on the anime? The one that plays whenever he does something cool? You know, its all dramatic organ music, but then a lady starts singing softly in some other language. I don't think its Japanese. It sounds awesome, though.

---

**Author's note: (Narroch:) **Whooo! Yes, great chapter! I think Sapphire said it all, so I will just close by saying it is my great pleasure and honor to be writing this fic with Sapphire, and I hope ya'll review to make us happy and motivated!

Next chapter coming soon! Please review.

**_-Sapphire and Narroch_**


	3. Sparring with a Snake

* * *

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 3: Sparring with a Snake

_By Sapphire and Narroch_

Sasuke finished his breakfast, rinsed the plate in the bathroom sink, and knelt on the cleanest part of his bedroom floor to begin stretching. Considering Kabuto's tone of voice when he gave the warning about exercising beforehand, Sasuke figured he was in for one hell of a workout soon. Taking deep breaths, he relaxed, brushing away unnecessary thoughts, until after a few minutes he was on the borderline of meditation. He always calmed his body and cleared his mind before beginning his stretching routine. It was a habit most shinobi used before starting any kind of training; it helped bring consciousness inwards to the body, strengthen chakra perception, and soothed any mental doubts.

A few minutes later, he was doing headstands and backflips across the small area his room permitted. He kicked off the wall and dove into a front roll, simulating dodging projectiles in a real fight. It made some noise, but he still heard Kabuto's footsteps and gentle knock on the door, signaling that the two hours were up.

Standing up without a word, he headed out of the room, Kabuto shutting the door behind him. Kabuto poked his glasses back up his nose; interested that Sasuke had actually followed his advice about exercising before the training. It was something most of the other people who'd trained under Orochimaru quickly realized; once Orochimaru starts sparring, you need to be totally alert, and there was no warm up when fighting with the master. The snake seemed to enjoy suddenly moving fast enough to mystify his opponents, to break the sound barrier, it seemed. Orochimaru never followed the rules of physics, anyway. But his opponents were out of luck when he decided to stop toying with them, and they'd need their blood and chakra to be moving fast enough just to survive the fight, and be able to recover enough to stand back up.

Once Orochimaru beat an opponent down to the point where they couldn't get back up, he would simply knock them out cold. The pathetic weakness in their eyes wasn't even worth mocking, anyway. Kabuto had seen it enough; it was his job to drag the unconscious victims to either the infirmary or to chain them to a wall for more experiments. He wondered which one it would be for Sasuke-kun at the end of the day.

Kabuto led Sasuke to the beginning of a long hallway, lit only by two torches at the end. He stopped with a small smile. "The training room is at the end of the hall. I'd suggest you not speak to Orochimaru-sama out of turn. Janaa."

Sasuke walked to the end of the hall, only to find three rooms at the end of it, all with locked doors. The one in the middle had two torches on either side, and it had a snake insignia on it, two snakes wrapped around a flaming torch. He tried all the doorknobs again, and then contemplated knocking. Wait, there was no way in hell he was going to disturb Orochimaru. If the snake bastard had somehow gotten himself killed, then everything would be fine; he'd just have to find power somewhere else. If the snake had completely forgotten about his new apprentice, then that was fine, too.

But, somehow, Sasuke knew that Orochimaru was up to something. This had to be part of some test, and it was getting late. The two hours were probably up. That's probably why Kabuto had vanished like that; he didn't want to be around when Sasuke asked where to go. He ran back up the hall, trying all the doorknobs, and then considered the possibility of a genjutsu blocking the real door. His loud footsteps covered the small _click_ of the middle door unlocking.

Finally, he went down the hall again, halfheartedly trying the middle room again, surprised and anxious when he found it unlocked. Poking his head inside, he noticed it was dark, only one lone candle flickering. He was about to close the door and go somewhere else when something purple reflected in the candle's glare caught his eye… _Orochimaru's ugly purple bow!_ Standing up straight, he stared into the darkness, finally feeling the snake Sannin's cold chakra signature slither over him.

"Sasuke-kun… You're late."

Eyes wide, Sasuke backed up a small step, feeling the door. _This room was locked! I tried it only a minute ago! You just now unlocked it! You bastard!_ Hiding his thoughts, Sasuke only glared ahead into what he hoped was the snake bastard's eyes. No way in hell was he going to blame Orochimaru for ANYTHING. That would be total suicide. That damn Kabuto must've known this all along!

Fixing his face into a complete glare, Sasuke opened the door fully, letting more light from the torches outside into the room. It was big, but Sasuke didn't dare take his eyes off Orochimaru's to look around. The Sannin was wearing a white robe with the purple upside down-bow. Sasuke wished he could grab the stupid bow and hang Orochimaru from the ceiling with it. But that would be beyond suicide.

They stared at each other in silence until Orochimaru spoke, taking a step closer.

"I expect my subordinates be able to follow simple instructions…Sasuke-kun." The gleefully condescending tone grated on Sasuke's ears. _I would have been able to follow your instructions if you hadn't locked the door! _

But, once again he refrained from bringing that convenient fact up and instead gritted his teeth and in the most level voice he could muster replied "I am not your subordinate, Orochimaru. I never swore loyalty to either you or the Sound Village." He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but he also knew the bastard was testing him, so he wasn't going to back down.

Those golden eyes gleamed. Orochimaru continued to stalk closer with that ever-present lopsided smirk fully in view now. "That is true Sasuke-kun…But while living here, in my domain, if you truly want to gain power you _will_ follow my rules. Or else you will be punished." His eyes flashed dangerously, and the heavy stone door swung shut with a deafening bang.

Sasuke would have loved to have said he wasn't intimidated in the slightest. But he would have been lying. The unexpected noise startled him, and the following darkness unnerved him as well. But the worst was that Orochimaru took this as an opportunity to slide even closer to the boy until he was suddenly towering right in front of him, blocking the only feeble source of light in the dungeon-like room. It took every ounce of willpower to not let out a noise or try and back away.

Sasuke took a deep breath, calming his rattled nerves before looking Orochimaru directly in the face and asking, "When do we start training?"

It was hard to see anything at all, but he could _hear_ the sly smile in Orochimaru's voice, "Right now."

Before he even had a chance to ready himself, Sasuke was backhanded across the face, knocking him to his left. He felt the tears prickling his eyes from the unexpected blow, but he did not let that bother him. Before he hit the ground, he managed to twist around so that he was able to recover with a handspring, and land in a crouch a few feet away, Sharingan fully activated. But there was no time for him to survey the situation, since Orochimaru was right in front of him again, this time pulling his leg back to kick him.

Sasuke had enough time to bring his arms up to block his face before the kick sent him flying backwards. His back slammed into the edge of something hard, and he realized that it was the table the candle had been sitting on just as the room suddenly went pitch black. He growled in frustration at the throbbing pain in his back, and at the new development.

His Sharingan allowed for better night vision than regular human eyes, but there had to be at least some light, even the tiniest scrap, in order for them to work. This room might as well have a cave. There wasn't even light coming in from under the door.

But, Orochimaru was in the same boat, and now he had an advantage. He could still see residual chakra trails with his Sharingan, and if Orochimaru used a jutsu of any kind, he would instantly know his location. Before he could gloat about it, he heard the tell-tale whistling in the air, and rolled to the side avoiding a hail of shurikens.

Apparently, Orochimaru could see in the dark just fine. It didn't surprise Sasuke, since he was fighting one of the legendary Sannin after all. It would have been anticlimactic if Orochimaru couldn't fight in the dark. He focused on where the shuriken had come from and sent out his own barrage. He knew he had missed, because Orochimaru was suddenly right next to him, pummeling him with a flurry of punches and kicks. Sasuke was able to avoid the worst of them, only thanks to his Sharingan and quick reflexes, but it was extremely frustrating. And no matter how fast he blocked, Orochimaru still was able to get hits in. And they weren't soft punches either. Every time one connected, he felt the tremor go through his whole body, and he couldn't hold back his gasps of pain.

It went on like this for a few minutes, parrying in the dark, a few attempts at offense that always ended badly because it opened his defenses up. Orochimaru was using no chakra at all, just beating Sasuke up the old fashioned way, so it was impossible to see him with the Sharingan. A heavy snap kick to his chest sent blood from his mouth, and he fell back expecting to hit the cold floor. Instead fell into a firm chest, and a vice grip wrapped around his arms, which immediately rendered Sasuke immobile.

Orochimaru was just too fast…

He felt the chuckle rumbling in the snake's chest, which by itself made the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck stand up as he tried to struggle. But when he felt a warm slimy tongue slowly caress the back of his ear, Sasuke flipped out. Despite his injuries, and despite the practically immovable joint lock he was held in, he wasn't going to let that slide.

Using his free legs, he pushed back into the man behind him, letting the Sannin take his weight from the strong grip on his arms as he flipped his legs up, and in an impressive feat of flexibility, he doubled up, kicking his feet over his own head, directly into Orochimaru's face, feeling his toes smash into the Sannin's forehead.

The man grunted, and Sasuke was released, falling to the ground. _That _had been satisfying. One of the only good hits he had gotten in that Orochimaru hadn't expected, and it sounded like it had hurt pretty badly too. Sasuke was instantly back on his feet, locked onto Orochimaru's position, ready for any sort of retaliation.

Ready for anything except the curse seal.

That was a pain far more potent than bruises from fighting could ever be. He screamed and collapsed to the ground, unable to control his limbs. His fingers were clenched like a claw, frozen in the act of reaching to claw at the seal. The dull orange glow of the curse seal's spread showed him Orochimaru standing over him looking livid.

Orochimaru's mocking knowing smile was unnerving, but his pure unmasked fury was _terrifying_.

Especially scary, knowing that he was the one in control of the curse seal and its burning punishment. It felt as if his blood had been replaced with acid, and it was now ravaging his body from the inside out. It hurt so badly, Sasuke wanted to tear his own skin off, hoping the pain would somehow be able to leak out and leave him with at least some of his remaining sanity. His screams sounded distant, even to his own ears, and he couldn't feel his body convulsing, even though he could see it. All he felt, the only thing his sense could perceive was the pain of the curse mark, and Orochimaru's snarling face.

He seized up on the floor, feeling the curse seal's fiery marks spread down his arm and across his torso. They moved inch by agonizing inch, fighting his willpower and rendering his limbs unresponsive. Within his body, they were spreading through his chakra veins again, wrapping around them tightly. Only able to twitch and jerk from the intense pain, Sasuke managed to stop screaming and drag himself face-down on the floor, so at least Orochimaru couldn't see the pain and weakness on his face. That was more important than getting enough air into his hyperventilating lungs. That hadn't worked yesterday, anyway.

Orochimaru glared at Sasuke, sensing the spread of the marks and listening to his pained gasps. This wasn't supposed to happen so soon. Sasuke shouldn't have been able to even get in one hit today. He'd underestimated him, a mistake that was often deadly when dealing with either of the two remaining Uchihas. But Orochimaru knew better. Itachi's Sharingan was beyond off-limits, and Kakashi's Sharingan was both weakened and damaged from being transferred once. Sasuke was his last chance at getting it, and the curse seal was the key to controlling him.

With a smirk, Orochimaru decided what to do next, and advanced on the trembling Uchiha.

**Chapter End**

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**_Author's note (Sapphire):_** So, there's the end of Chapter 3. Wow, my first cliffhanger! If you can really call it a cliffhanger. Well, I promised more action, and this is just the start. We've got plenty more forms of Orochimaru's training in store… 

Most of this was written by Narroch. She saved this chapter. Go Narroch! Also, about that kick Sasuke used? If any of you watch Teen Titans, you might recognize a very similar move from _Apprentice, part 2_. Robin used it against Slade's armlock.

On a last random note, does anyone know what the words are in Orochimaru's music theme on the anime? The one with the woman singing and the fast organ music? That lady's not singing in English, and I doubt she's singing in Japanese. But its really soft and blended, it fits well, but no one seems to know what it means, or what language its in.

Please review! They help us update faster! And I respond to all of them, they're appreciated that much.

**CHECK THE END OF MY PROFILE FOR IMPORTANT STORY STATUS!!! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE OUT SOON, HOPEFULLY BY NEXT WEEK, 4-24-06.** Narroch and I could definately use some ideas, though. Especially ideas on Orochimaru's ideas of training exercises. Just send in a simple sketch of what you'd like to see, and we can build on it and make it cool. Or you can give all the detail you'd like, and we'll try to do it justice. C'mon, guys, here's your chance at seeing what you'd really want to happen. Keep the comments coming, and thanks again.

And since you guys are being so patient,** a clip of the upcoming chapter 4 is also at the end of my profile.** Enjoy.

_**-Sapphire and Narroch**_

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	4. Recoil

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 4: Recoil

_By Sapphire and Narroch_

Orochimaru advanced steadily, his eager and sadistic smirk ever-present. A lopsided smirk that conveyed anything but joy; it was an insane streak circumventing the normal outline of a genuine smile showing off Orochimaru's depraved side. Sasuke facedown on the floor did not see the warped leer, instead focusing all his willpower on biting back a scream. Pain was still coursing through him, but it had been diluted. It was more like the searing ache of alcohol in his veins instead of the liquid fire it had been before.

His eyes narrowed in both anger and helplessness, as they became level with Orochimaru's foot. Said Sannin kneeled, watching every involuntary shake as the residual chakra continued to slowly swirl in its fiery tattoo, then placed a cold hand on one shoulder and roughly pushed it, flipping Sasuke on his side. A mocking chuckle sounded as he pinned Sasuke by the shoulders, his head rolling back boneless, and his eyes wide and watery. Orochimaru grasped a handful of hair and jerked Sasuke's head up, forcing him to look into his eyes.

The curse marks had covered almost all of his body, but had not yet merged to advance to Level 2. His pale skin contrasted sharply with the black marks covering it, a horrific curse of fiery black stains. His Sharingan had long since faded from the pain, and his onyx eyes were transparent, clearly displaying his internal battle to show anger over fear. The fear easily took over in an overwhelming wave of fizzing terror as Orochimaru leaned closer, whispering in his ear.

"_Sasuke-kun… Do you know why Konoha shinobi are so weak? It is because they are taught with kindness. They never receive experience in true endurance… They never learn how to handle…**pain.**"_

An involuntary shudder racked Sasuke's stiffened body. His teeth were clenched tight, the muscles in his jaw ticking furiously, as he glared up into Orochimaru's eyes, damming back the tide of terror by mustering as much anger as he could. A futile attempt, the fear gushed through his crumbling rage as he noticed with horror that Orochimaru's long tongue was slipping out. With a suppressed gasp, he scrunched his eyes shut and turned his head to the side, willing his limbs to move, to escape.

Smirking at Sasuke's reaction, Orochimaru directed his tongue at the flaring curse seal, while pressing even harder on Sasuke's shoulders. The second his tongue made contact with the curse seal, every mark on Sasuke's body which had been slowly dimming, reacted and flared, turning bright orange and moving again in a frenzied yet deliberate spasm across his skin. His head cracked against the floor as his spine arched, seizing up once again as he screamed through a rictus of pure suffering, completely forgetting his previous anger as the pain reached unbelievable heights.

The Cursed Seal of Heaven, however, was now receding. The fiery marks were swirling, heading back towards his neck as if being drawn in by the curse seal. Orochimaru collected his tongue, still holding Sasuke down and enjoying the feeling of his convulsions. He smirked as he let go, watching Sasuke immediately roll over on his right side away from him, avoiding any pressure on the curse seal, franticly trying to get his breathing under control.

Filling his face with that unnatural mocking smile, Orochimaru stood up, leering down at Sasuke, who was trying to sit up as fast as possible, cursing himself for being so weak. Orochimaru had made a bunshin a few minutes ago to relight some more candles, and it vanished in a poof of smoke after completing the task. In his agony, Sasuke hadn't even noticed the change in lighting. If anything, the candlelight only made Orochimaru's shadow even more intimidating as he now towered over Sasuke. Scooting back slightly to get out from under the man's shadow and steely gaze, he forced himself to stand, quivering with the effort.

"Sasuke-kun, do you see now why you are not yet ready to handle such power? Your body and mind are both far too weak to be able to control and wield my power at will."

Orochimaru widened his smirk, knowing exactly how deep those exact words stung. He had never seen Itachi and Sasuke together, but he had overheard Sasuke repeating Itachi's condescending words with anger to Kakashi during a training session a few weeks ago.

Sasuke's Sharingan returned with full force as he felt a flare of anger at Itachi's regurgitated words. Forgetting all reason, he let out an enraged battle yell, and charged at Orochimaru, pure murderous intent spewing from him. Orochimaru calmly watched him approach, then caught both fists, and kicked the back of his knees, throwing him to the floor in one fluid move.

"Not only can you not handle pain, you can not even control your own emotions. Is this really all that you are capable of, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke boiled inside. Partly because he was still seething from the previous comment, but more so now because he knew the snake bastard was right. Shinobi were supposed to maintain level emotions at all times. Unnecessary feelings clouded one's judgment and unfocused wild anger only dulled the finely honed edge of chakra.

He needed to consider the situation with detached logic if he wanted to survive. He was still too shaky from the curse mark torture to try anymore taijutsu; he had lost too much speed and coordination to even hope of keeping up with the snake. But he still had a large reserve of chakra left, though it might take him a moment to unscramble it. Activating the curse mark always had strange effects on his inherent chakra, and the consequences were unpredictable.

But…

He felt all right. One jutsu wouldn't do any harm. He just had to make sure it would count.

He quickly surveyed the room, already feeling Orochimaru's battle chakra rising again into attack mode. He immediately went through a flurry of hand seals, the gestures so old and familiar to him he didn't even need to think, and his arms moved in a blur.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The chakra raced up, seared inside his lungs for only a second and then was expelled out in a huge fireball, filling most of the room and heading straight for the sannin. Sasuke didn't expect it to hit, but that wasn't his intention. The room wasn't very large to begin with and the fireball acted as a funnel, forcing Orochimaru to go exactly where he wanted.

He couldn't afford to miss with this next jutsu.

He could feel the scorching heat of the Katon, it was searing away all the oxygen in the room. He could see Orochimaru dodge the fireball in exactly the way he predicted. It was now or never.

"Chidori!"

The screeching twittering of lightning birds was deafening, overpowering even the roar of the fire blaze as it collided on the opposite wall, snuffing itself out. But Sasuke was already streaking forth, clutching the familiar part of his wrist as he drove his arm forward to impale the Sannin that had played exactly into his trap. Orochimaru could see him, could see the ploy he had used, but it was too late to stop him.

It was only as he shot his arm forth, attaining the highest speed humanly possible, and chirping electricity swelled up into a scream, did he realize that something was terribly wrong.

His strike had connected, he could see the knife edge of his hand sinking into Orochimaru's torso, but all its potency had been violently ripped away at the last second. It was as though a chasm had opened up inside himself and all his chakra had been forcefully sucked into it, leaving him swaying precariously right on the edge of that same abyss. The Chidori had failed. His chakra was unexplainably gone in a soul-chilling rush, the failing chakra veins making his whole body stop responding. And now he was in a deadlock with a pissed off Orochimaru who already had a bone-crushing grip on his wrist. Through his racing thoughts, he remembered Itachi stopping him with the exact move.

He sank to his knees, feeling numb and limp, fingers slipping limply across the Sannin's soft robe, wrist still on the verge of being snapped by the strong hand. Something was horribly wrong with his chakra, and it wasn't just the curse mark's fault. His conscious started to fade, unanswered questions swarming through his mind, but he couldn't focus enough to voice them all. He couldn't grasp the reason why. Why had he failed? What had gone wrong? Why was Orochimaru was sneering at him like that? He summed it all up in one syllable, muttering it in a soft strained voice as he toppled over onto his side.

"Why?"

Darkness began creeping into his vision, and he lost all sensation of his body. The only thing he could see was Orochimaru's burning amber eyes, hanging eerily in the darkness, disembodied, and still glowing like hellfire even when everything else was going blank. He heard the snake's answer, as simply returned as his question had been delivered.

"Recoil."

And then everything faded.

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**Chapter End**

**Author's Notes: **(_Sapphire_) Woot, there's chapter 4. I know it took a while longer, and we'll try to not let that happen again. Thanks to all of you who sent in ideas and comments, they were valuable. Feel free to keep sending in anything you'd like to see in this, especially ideas on Orochimaru's training ideas.

Also, there's a new place at the end of my profile with update status on this fic. For anyone who didn't notice, a large chunk of this chapter has been sitting there for a few days. I'll try to keep doing that if updates are taking longer. Reviews, feedback, and ideas are greatly appreciated and inspirational!

**_-Sapphire and Narroch_**

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	5. Silver Scalpels

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 5: Silver Scalpels

_By Sapphire and Narroch_

_**Sapphire's warning: Twisted surgery ahead. If you can't handle blood, skip this chapter. It's not graphic, but don't say I didn't warn you. Enjoy!**_

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The harsh glare of surgical lights wasn't what woke Sasuke. Nor was it the tight biting restraints around his wrists and ankles. It was not even the cold draft flowing over his bare chest. What woke Sasuke up was the baritone voice humming an unrecognizable Classical concerto. Slightly off pitch, (the voice couldn't quite reach the high notes, and the intonation came off flat) the melody was jerky and halting, (as though the voice were trying to remember the notes right before it came upon them) and the minor key it was composed in gave the entire piece an eerie disembodied feeling to it.

It was downright creepy. And the erratic monophonic modulations were enough to jerk Sasuke into consciousness. As soon as he cracked his aching eyes open, he immediately wished that he was still knocked out. He was strapped down to a freezing cold examination table, in a freezing cold room with sanitized white walls, and precision surgical lights aimed directly on his half naked, bound body. He still had on his shorts, but it wasn't much. The glare was so intense it was painful to open his eyes, retinas scorched by the extreme wattage, yet there was no heat transferred from the lights and he began to shiver slightly. That horrible humming turned into a piercing whistle, though the sound was still as sinister as before.

It was getting closer. He could not hear any footsteps or other noises except that unremitting melody, floating ever closer. He knew it had to be a Shinobi, no one else could be so silent and simultaneously incessant; the whistling was enough to drive him mad. Sasuke couldn't see anything beyond the dazzling lights and having finally gotten a grip on the situation, he was silently freaking out: pulse racing, nervous cold sweat beading across his body, his pupils dilating despite the intensity of the lamps. He was splayed out on a table, restrained by shackles and practically naked, and that bobbing whistle was alarmingly close, right out in the hall probably.

Sasuke would never admit it, but he was terrified. Never had he been in such a vulnerable position. Even in battle, when the odds were stacked against him and death seemed like the only possible future, he never felt this overwhelming terror before. At least in battle he was allowed to die honorably, whereas here, he had no idea what would happen to him or how much he would suffer before they would put him out of his misery.

He mentally slapped himself after thinking that. There was no way Orochimaru would allow him to be killed. He was the Sannin's precious body after all. But still, the atmosphere in the room was heavy with the scent of blood, and the rank stench of fear from previous victims. He felt like he would be able to see the red fear bleeding from the pure white walls if the lights weren't so bright. So despite his logic trying to impose control over his body, he couldn't stop the instinctual gut wrenching fear that grew as the music came closer.

The song modulated into a higher key, reached a crescendo and at the very climax hit a discordant note right as Kabuto stepped through the doorway, his lips still pulled in a whistling circle. He noticed the way Sasuke's body was tensed and slick, held in throe between the fight and flight instincts yet unable to do anything in the torturous limbo.

Kabuto knew the horror stories ninjas were taught. He knew that even children were told the consequences of ever being captured, the many horrible ways in which torture could be inflicted. The children of ninjas didn't tell ghost stories around campfires to scare themselves; they just listened to the reality of the older generations. The ones that survived. It had been transferred to the children that listened to those stories, and one of a ninja's worst fears was to be captured alive.

This type of panicked reaction before the torture even began was common. Especially since most of the hidden villages had dropped their interrogation survival courses. There were ways to live through even the most excruciating agony and not lose one's sanity or spill any information. But from the way Sasuke was shaking, it looked like Konoha had stopped teaching that grisly subject as well.

Kabuto smirked behind his glasses. This was going to be easier than he thought. Sasuke himself had already done half the work. He really had no control over his own emotions at this point, and that only opened him up for further attack. It really was just the right conditions that broke through his nonchalant attitude. All Kabuto had done was raise the suspense by humming, and Sasuke's repressed psychological fears did the rest.

Also, Sasuke's total loss of chakra had to be disorienting as well. To have absolutely nothing to hold onto, to not feel that inner strength singing through his veins, that in itself was torture for a ninja.

The boy trembled, swallowed down his fear and tried to speak. His voice cracked and he looked away from the medic-nin who was once again humming that lunatic melody while busily and efficiently pulling out various instruments from the white cabinets lining the walls. He was carefully placing them all on a metal tray, plainly in sight of Sasuke.

He swallowed once again, forcing his pasty dry mouth to speak, trying but failing to hide his fear behind an annoyed voice. "What are you going to do?"

Kabuto glanced over to the boy; his eyes dark and trembling with fear, and after a second let a sickly sweet smile slide over his face. "Well Sasuke, I am a medical ninja. What do you think? I'm here to fix you."

Sasuke peered warily down at the various instruments beginning to pile on the tray. They looked sharp and painful, nothing at all he would have in mind for 'healing'. Kabuto continued to talk, his voice lower now so that Sasuke had to strain to hear it.

"You took a big risk using Chidori after the effects of the curse seal. You should know by now that using your own chakra is impossible if the curse seal is active. You still aren't properly trained to control it. So while I admire your determination, it was ultimately your downfall. Forcing chakra into your system that was still recovering from the potent curse seal chakra was enough to force a rebound, and the force of the attack was reflected on yourself. It took all of your chakra to save you from yourself. Ironic isn't it?"

Sasuke gave a weak "Hmph." trying desperately to control himself and return to normal. He had to act nonchalant. He could not show any more weakness than he already had.

"The Chidori is a powerful jutsu, be grateful that Kakashi-san was kind enough to share it with you. But because of how strong it is, it ripped up your chakra circulation system. Now I have to go through the tedious chores of rebuilding it. Sasuke-kun, do you know how complex the chakra circulatory system is?"

"No." he sullenly replied.

"It's tiny and intricate, and full of knots. It's really quite beautiful if you can see it. But when it is mangled like yours…well, it's quite a shame."

"Just hurry up and heal me so I can get back to training." Sasuke ordered gruffly, inside overjoyed that he was starting to sound like his old self again.

"Oh, but Sasuke-kun, I can't rush this process. I wouldn't want to ruin Orochimaru-sama's vessel by reconnecting the wrong veins. It's quite easy to make mistakes with something as complex as the chakra system. But don't worry; this will count as part of your training as well."

Sasuke glared at the medic nin, still rummaging through a cabinet looking for something.

"You see, Orochimaru-sama is quite concerned with your inability to control your reaction to pain. So, while this procedure normally is done solely with my chakra scalpels without even breaking the skin, Orochimaru-sama wanted me to do it manually this time, especially for you." As he said this he triumphantly held a gleaming silver scalpel up over his head, softly crooning to the instrument "Ah, there you are…"

Sasuke felt the fear slinking back in, staring wide-eyed at the razor sharp blade. "M-manually?"

"Yes, and of course without anesthesia. It has been such a long time since I have been allowed to use real metal scalpels. I miss the feeling of them in my hand, kunai are so unwieldy for delicate maneuvers such as this, wouldn't you agree Sasuke-kun?"

But Sasuke could not answer; the horror was already overwhelming him. He had to frantically push back the scream that was rising from his core as he saw Kabuto approach him, gleaming smiling scalpel in hand. He began moaning lowly, sick with fear, unable to form coherent words as the medic-nin began tightening the already rigid restraints. All the while Kabuto was humming to himself, a sadistic grin pulling back his lips.

"I can't wait to see that beautiful red color. And not only that, but all the other parts of you. The human body is quite a rainbow on the inside. You have blue veins, and orange fatty tissues, green bile reserves, all those white bones… But I still think that the red is my favorite color. The way it _spurts_ out like a fountain of life…"

On the word _spurt_, Kabuto dragged the scalpel across Sasuke's chest, intentionally hitting arteries to give the word its intended effect. The boy tensed up and gave a startled cry, stifling the noise before it could turn into a scream. Kabuto leered at the pained concentration etched onto Sasuke's face and chuckled.

"That will of yours won't last too long. Feel free to scream all you like Sasuke. The walls are sound proofed and I quite enjoy hearing your cries. They compliment my concerto." With that he began humming the tune once again, and continued his ministrations with the scalpel. He cut, flushed the slice with healing chakra to reassemble the torn chakra routes and then moved on to the next piece of skin. He worked inch by inch, slowly across Sasuke's chest, healing the cuts as he went.

All the while Sasuke was struggling, shrieking whenever the scalpel bit into him, and moaning helplessly when Kabuto forced his own stinging probing chakra into the raw wound. It hurt like a bitch, but Sasuke did not scream, nor did he cry. He kept his eyes closed and his teeth clenched. If this was all there was to it, cutting and healing, he was sure he could handle it. It wasn't _that_ bad.

What would Itachi do in this situation? What would Orochimaru do? They would simply glare up, and they probably would've escaped by now and murdered their tormentor. But he couldn't escape, he could barely move, and it probably wasn't a good idea to be running around with destroyed chakra veins anyway, that could result in permanent damage.

For a split second, Sasuke almost wished he had the Mangekyo Sharingan; he'd be in a perfect position to turn the tables on Kabuto, especially since he was so close and concentrated on his twisted surgery at the moment. But, no, he refused to gain the Mangekyo; he would **_not_** follow his aniki's hateful instructions that day.

After an eternity of bravely enduring this pain, Sasuke looked up to see Kabuto sit back smiling happily at his accomplishment. "Reconstruction of the surface level of pectoral muscle complete! Now moving on to the sub level." Kabuto reached over to the tray and picked up a pair or clamps and a longer, thicker, more sinister looking knife.

Sasuke followed the movement with bleary eyes, and it slowly, horrifically, dawned on him what Kabuto meant to do with those clamps. He began murmuring fast and frantically in an incoherent babble of moaning noise, "Nonononononononononononononononono…"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun…scream for me. I will enjoy seeing your lungs frantically pumping the air in and out of your exposed lungs."

The knife bit in deep, much deeper than before. Kabuto began to methodically carve a perimeter, clotting veins as he went so Sasuke wouldn't bleed to death, pulling the flesh back and holding it in place with clamps on the side. As he peeled the living layers back, he marveled at the intricate beauty of the human body. Mothers always said it was what was _inside_ that counts right?

Sasuke wasn't holding back like a brave little boy anymore. He was screaming, loudly. And there were tears uncontrollably streaming down his face. He couldn't believe he'd been brought down to this level. His hands were gripping and spasming on the table trying to find a grip, but receiving none as he was slowly cut open, gutted, a nightmarish vivisection by a grinning lunatic ninja.

Kabuto continued to work, unphased by Sasuke's immense suffering. He was still humming that tune, and whenever Sasuke's screams became too noisy, he simply began singing the song out loud, in disjointed nonsensical words, howling his insanity out in harmony with the cries of unimaginable pain Sasuke emitted.

A singing, cutting, grinning doctor.

Kabuto.

He sang because of the internal elation he felt, he cut because of Orochimaru-sama's orders and his own fetish with human physiology, and he grinned because he knew that there was still an entire body to be worked on.

Sasuke's suffering had only just begun.

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**Chapter End**

**Author's Notes: **_(Sapphire) _Woot, there's chapter 5. Don't worry, there won't be any character deaths, nor will there be any yaoi or rape or anything like that. That said, considering this chapter, we may have to increase the rating to M, but only because of the graphic-ness. This story **will** eventually end by connecting to where the anime/manga came back after the time skip, when Sasuke is quite alive and healthy. .

Thanks again to our reviewers. Feel free to send in ideas on what you'd like to see happen. Reviews, feedback, and ideas are greatly appreciated and inspirational!

**Author's Notes: **(_Narroch) _Yes, and before anyone mentions it in a review, that Kabuto singing a Classical concerto piece is not cannon…I would simply like to point out in episode 130 there is a TV in Sasuke's house. A TV. Yet, this world does not have automobiles. If Masashi Kishimoto has the artistic right to pick and choose what inventions make it into the Naruto universe without any historical relevance then (this being a fanfic and all…) I reserve that same right. AKA- Kabuto howling out some Schoenberg serialism piece of music enhances the stereotypical insanity bandwagon, so everyone jump on board! If you sing opera (or any serialistic form of music) you _must_ be a psychotic genius like Hannibal Lector! Bwaha! (I considered being a music major…can you tell? XD)

Sorry for the rant. Like Sapphire said, we hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave us a review!

**Final Author's Note: **_(Sapphire)_ Yes, and I actually **_am_** a music major, and I do have my psychotic moments. This fic was born from one of those moments. Anyway, keep the comments coming… I have noticed how the hit count is 37 times as large as the review count… The more comments/suggestions/etc we get, the faster Sasuke gets out of his misery. But then, its always out of the frying pan and into the oven for our hero… I'm shutting up now. Leave a review!

**_-Sapphire and Narroch_**


	6. Blood Red Clouds

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 6: Blood Red Clouds

_By Sapphire and Narroch_

(_Sapphire's note: Orochimaru's old Akatsuki robe appears in this chapter!_)

Several hours and blood transfusions later, Kabuto had finally finished. He left the same way he came, with practiced methodical ease; washing his tools, sterilizing his workspace, silent on his feet but noisy with his voice. Even when he was done with Sasuke, he still taunted him. His politeness was only a pretense, his mask as a trained spy to hide the insanity beneath.

That insanity, which cut Sasuke up into tiny pieces, put them back together and then expected him to be grateful for it. The pain had been astronomical. Sasuke hadn't stayed conscious for long, and whenever he did fade out Kabuto would keep working; able to move faster when Sasuke wasn't conscious and tensed and writhing despite the restraints.

Kabuto would finish an area and seamlessly stitch the tissue and skin back together with his chakra. Then he would prod Sasuke awake again so he could feel the blade's bite on a fresh piece of skin. It was torture, pure and simple. The guise of medical treatment was flimsy and unimaginable. Especially when Kabuto grew tired of him losing consciousness. He injected some kind of stimulant that sped up his nervous system, fooling his mind into a fake adrenaline rush making it so his body was too desperate fighting to control the blood loss to let him pass out. A second injection contained a depressant that slowed down certain parts of his nervous system, paralyzing him completely.

Sasuke had to lay there quietly, unable to move, or scream, or curse, or even bite his own tongue off. But he could feel _everything_, and he could see his own pulsating organs glistening dully in the surgical light. He was stuck in a pit in his own head and he had to silently endure everything. It was a lot like the Tsukuyomi. Powerless, defenseless, completely at the mercy of his torturer, whether it was by stabbing his heart with terrible bloody images of his murdered family, or literally stabbing his heart with a scalpel…the pain was about at the same level, and for both situations he had to helplessly endure it all.

The repercussions of such an intense suffering were the same as well. Mental withdrawal from reality. He still couldn't lose consciousness, but he could dissociate. He no longer responded to Kabuto's touches as the medic nin wiped the last stains of blood from his body. He didn't comprehend Kabuto's voice as he whispered gleefully in his ear. He didn't even flinch when Kabuto leaned in and brushed a bead of sweat off of his cheek, savoring the rank fear he tasted in it. But a shiver raced down his spine as Kabuto's cool breath crept in his ear.

Sasuke had been completely numb. He felt and responded to nothing. His eyes were glassy and blank, and his entire body limp. Even now, as he lay on his cot, locked in his room, he still felt disconnected. Through the haze, he couldn't believe that this was how his first training session with Orochimaru had ended. He'd gotten his butt kicked over and over, and practically finished Orochimaru's job _**for**_ him.

With a groan, he rolled over; knowing only food and rest could replenish his chakra. He was famished, and he couldn't help wondering if Kabuto had cleaned out his stomach just for the heck of it. He'd known not to underestimate Kabuto, but now he had to give the twisted medic a lot more credit for putting up such a great act at the Chunin Exams. He closed his eyes, bringing up a flashback of Kabuto's warm smile at the preliminary of the exam, then another of his mocking, soft laughter, the emotions in his eyes hidden by the disorientating white glare of his blood-splattered glasses. Damn, no wonder Orochimaru always sent Kabuto to do his dirty work; he was an intimidating example of Orochimaru's subordinates.

With a sigh, he rolled into a relaxing position for his heart, knowing he'd brought this upon himself. He slept for what seemed like an indefinite amount of time. Upon waking, he found a plate of food next to him. With nothing else to do with it, he ate every bit, not giving a damn about the possibility of drugs in it. After another long period of rest, he tested his condition. He felt slightly cold, and his limbs felt strange when moved, but they were responsive again.

Forcing himself out of bed, he landed in a semi-kneel on the floor and slowly made his way to the door, very surprised to find it unlocked. Opening it, he decided to see just how far he could get without getting caught. And after getting caught, at least it would let them know that he wasn't about to do everything everyone told him to.

Wandering down the candle-lit halls, he thought back to his original plan of gathering allies. His first idea was to eventually convince Orochimaru to let him join the Sound Four, but, according to Kabuto, they'd all already been killed. That left the possibilities of any of the other Sound shinobi who were not mindless followers. Then there were those people locked up in the cages in the front wing of the hideout.

No, if they were stupid enough to get themselves locked up by Orochimaru, then they would prove to be completely useless. He needed the best of the best who could eventually turn from Orochimaru. Or maybe even some who weren't really on the best of terms with the Sannin in the first place. People who didn't care to follow Orochimaru, but would fight alongside Sasuke if he said the right words to convince them.

He needed time. He'd first have to gain Orochimaru's complete trust before he could safely start gathering information on the others. And he'd have to keep Kabuto from getting suspicious, as well as figure out exactly how loyal Kabuto was to Orochimaru. Chances were, Kabuto would never turn, and the memory of the recent surgery was too raw, Sasuke wouldn't really want Kabuto as an ally anyway, he seemed too twisted and unstable.

Sasuke was wandering down the west wing now. Torches lined the stone and alabaster-streaked walls. Intricate designs flowed along them as well. A faint smell of sandalwood wafted though the area. This must be around Orochimaru's quarters. Sasuke paused, considering the drawbacks of accidentally walking in on the snake Sannin. Turning away from the end of the hall, which was likely Orochimaru's bedroom, he turned instead towards a large walk-in closet.

Grabbing a nearby torch and lighting another one on the closet wall, he found himself in a small room with a few boxes of weapons, some sandals, and some clothes hanging in the far back. Careful not to burn the walls, Sasuke moved closer, towards the clothes. There was a purple and pink robe with a yellow sash, some white robes, a bathrobe, and something dark in the far back. Something about it was very, very suspicious. Heart picking up speed, he pulled the torch as close as possible and grabbed for the dark material. Snatching it forward, he froze in anger and recognition.

It was an Akatsuki robe. An AKATSUKI robe! The blood red clouds were unmistakable. It was exactly the same as Itachi's and his idiot-looking comrade's cloaks! Stumbling out of the closet and dragging the cloak and torch in a death grip, Sasuke headed for better light at the door. He slammed the torch back to its place and glared at the robe.

So THIS is how Orochimaru knew about Itachi's eyes! No wonder he could compare him to his damn brother in the Forest of Death! They were buddies! Or allies! Or whatever, it didn't even matter! They were all part of some criminal club! Damn it!

But wait, in the Forest of Death, it seemed that Orochimaru was already looking for Sasuke. Already knowing about his brother. But if he was already so close to Itachi, why didn't he bite him instead, while he had the chance?

Sasuke glanced down at the robe, at the blood-red clouds. Blood red, the color of Tsukuyomi, of the deadly eyes that created it, the eyes that were gained from blood. Gained from BLOOD! That had to be why; Itachi already HAD all the power he needed! Orochimaru probably realized that even he couldn't handle Itachi.

Sasuke closed his eyes, his death grip on the robe threatening to rip it to shreds. Orochimaru couldn't handle Itachi, so he went for the next best thing! Damn it! He should have known Orochimaru wouldn't just hand out free power!

Sasuke's anger clouded his senses; he was finally piecing it all together. He didn't notice the shadow falling over him, the cold chakra getting closer. Not until a cold fist slammed into his neck, sending him face-first into the wall in front of him, the Akatsuki robe crumpled in his hands. In disgust, he threw the robe away before glancing up just in time to notice his shirt collar snatched from behind, then used to throw him practically over Orochimaru's shoulder, into the other side of the wall. He crashed against it, and then looked up, not to Orochimaru's angry face, but to his feet, which the Akatsuki robe was draped over.

"Sasuke...", said Orochimaru in a terrifyingly calm voice.

Sasuke stood up to face the Sannin with his regular frown; the pain from his torso reminding him of the condition his surgery had left him in. He was in no condition to fight Orochimaru. Especially a pissed off Orochimaru. This was too dangerous, especially because the Sannin had not called him "Sasuke-kun".

Stepping away from the wall and to the side, Sasuke glanced down the hall, contemplating running. A horrible choice, because Orochimaru could easily corner him, especially since he was completely lost. But his worst choice was looking down the hall at all, because, in the blink of an eye, Orochimaru delivered a bone-crushing hit to his ribs, sending him flying across the hall. From one attempt to breathe, Sasuke knew the Sannin had broken at least three ribs with that one punch, or kick, or whatever it was.

Decisions flew through Sasuke's head as he tried to decide what to do; running was out of the question, as was fighting. Raising his hands in a peaceful gesture wouldn't fool either of them, especially since the great Uchihas had never backed down. Well, he had gotten caught, but he hadn't expected to be caught while going through Orochimaru's _clothes_ of all things. Trying to force the fear out of his eyes, Sasuke forced himself to stand, leaning against the wall as he looked into the Sannin's piercing golden eyes as calmly as he could.

They stayed that way for a while, Sasuke attempting to keep his breathing quiet, which was especially hard with broken ribs, and Orochimaru simply staring at him, as if waiting for a reaction. Eventually, Orochimaru closed his eyes and turned away, a smirk complimenting a quiet chuckle, which soon turned into absolute laughter. Sasuke sighed internally; it didn't look like he was going to die at the moment. So he fixed his frown on, and glared at the Sannin's back, trying to look annoyed.

Still laughing, Orochimaru picked up the Akatsuki robe, brushed off some dust, and looked at it thoughtfully, his back still to Sasuke.

"While I admire your inquisitive and determined nature, boldly rifling through my things so soon after recovery, if I ever find you near my chambers again I will _kill_ you." His voice was frigid, and Sasuke knew that if he looked the Sannin in the eyes at this moment he would be overwhelmed by the murderous intent radiating from them. A tense moment passed and then Orochimaru turned to sneer at Sasuke who was still leaning on the wall to direct weight away from the broken ribs.

"Seems like you have found the relic of my old affiliation. Yes, this is my Akatsuki robe" he said after seeing Sasuke's questioning stare.

At that Sasuke forced himself away from the wall and looked him straight in the eye, controlling his painful breathing as much as possible. "So you were friends with my brother. You were comrades and everything…If that's so, tell me where he is." Sasuke was keeping his temper in sharp check. Losing his cool had not been very healthy for him when in the Sound, and he had gotten much better at maintaining a calm façade. But having found a link so close to his brother and his goal suddenly within his reach…It was everything he could do to not tremble in anger and anticipation.

He was hard pressed not to lash out in anger when Orochimaru started laughing at his question. "You think you are ready to take your brother on? Stupid child. Not even I can defeat your brother. Only someone with my skills and experience, and someone with your bloodline abilities can destroy Itachi. Meaning you stay here and learn under me until both requirements are met."

Sasuke anger smoldered under the words, but he knew they were true. Only by succumbing to the snake could he ever have a hope of avenging his family.

Only by making a deal with one devil could he defeat another devil.

Fire with fire.

Evil with evil.

Darkness with darkness.

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**Chapter End**

Author's note: (_Sapphire_) Yay, chapter 6! Wow, I love the ending Narroch added. Awesome. Anyway, a forum friend of mine, 'Wing the Swordsman' requested that I do an alternate ending to the end of that last chapter, where Kabuto bitch-slaps Sasuke awake after the surgery. Hmm, I'm not totally sure how to do that, but I'll add it in my profile when its done. It'll be right under the story update status place at the end of my profile. Keep an eye out for it if you're into humor like that.

No real allusions in this chapter, but that purple-pink robe in Oro's closet was in one he wore to meet Tsunade in episode 89. As for the POV, I can't seem to write in Sasuke's actual POV, but more of an omnipresent POV.

Well, Narroch doesn't have much to say at the moment, but please keep sending in ideas for what you'd like to see. There hasn't been much TRAINING in these chapters because I don't have any ideas for it. Wing gave me an idea, but that'll have to wait until Sasuke heals from his surgery and his new broken ribs. . As always, reviews, ideas, and comments are very valuable. Thanks to all of our reviewers! You guys rock!

P.S: EvilS, I'm sorry that last chapter was freaky. I assume you sent the signed review for chapter 3? If so, thanks for the fav!

I'm glad this fic is turning out so well, its my first one! Read and review!

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_-Sapphire and Narroch

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	7. To Summon a Serpent, part 1

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 7: To Summon a Serpent

By Sapphire

Sasuke returned to his room after crumpling up the Akatsuki robe and throwing it on the closet floor. He found a plate of food, a glass of water, and an alarm clock on the table. Slamming the door and wondering how he could set a trap to keep Kabuto out of his room, he headed towards his dinner.

The alarm clock was a simple one, but it rang quite loud at 4:45 am the next morning. Sasuke was dressed and ready for training by 4:55, leaning against his doorframe for Kabuto to unlock the door with directions to wherever the Sannin was waiting. At exactly 4:59, the medic-nin's two quiet knocks sounded on the other side of the door. Obviously, Orochimaru never allowed any of his subordinates to keep him waiting.

The walk down the halls was silent, with Kabuto avoiding eye contact, and Sasuke waiting with a glare should he ever look back. Upon reaching the door, Kabuto pushed up his glasses before commenting quietly, "I hope your fingers are clean", and walking away. Sasuke glared at his retreating form and pushed open the door, Sharingan active. He could hear snakes slithering through the darkness, and see Orochimaru's purplish chakra aura, but wasn't expecting three snakes on the ground to slither up and coil around his ankles.

Forcing down the instinct to step back, he glared at the purple aura and asked, "When do we start training?"

A match was struck, illuminating the Sannin's face over a candle as he smirked and said, "We already are… Sasuke-kun."

At his words, the snakes around Sasuke's ankles started coiling and tightening, as if they were anacondas. Sasuke willed himself to stay still, although he could think of twenty ways to get them off. He didn't want to look like he was panicked in any way, although the snakes were certainly starting to cut off blood supply to his feet.

"Make them stop, Sasuke-kun. Command them. Make them fear you."

"…Fine."

With that, Sasuke flipped back on his hands, forcing his feet apart slightly, slipped his right foot halfway out of the snakes' grasp, then jumped back to land hard on his feet, with the snakes partly wrapped around his right foot, so they were harshly squashed by his weight as he landed. They hissed in pain and uncoiled, slithering back toward their master.

An amused chuckle sounded through the dark room as the Sannin lit the rest of the candles. "An amusing move, but you did not command them. You simply forced them off. They will not respect you for that. Come here, Sasuke-kun."

Fixing a bored frown on his face, Sasuke moved forward where the Sannin was standing, to a part of the room that did not have floor, but simply bare dirt. A dozen snakes of different sizes slithered aimlessly on the dirt around them. One rather large one headed for Orochimaru's outstretched hand, lifted up its head, and coiled itself around his arm, heading for his neck and hissing softly while staring back at Sasuke.

Another snake joined it as Orochimaru continued, "Snakes have many advantages in battle, Sasuke-kun. Besides their natural venom attacks, they can be trained to wrap around limbs, or to drag exploding kunai or other weapons unnoticed near enemies. Larger serpents can carry weapons or explosives in their mouths. Once trained, they are quite obedient. Observe…with that wonderful Sharingan of yours, I suggest."

The Sannin then brought his right hand to his grinning mouth, biting the thumb and spreading the blood on the tattooed summoning contract on his left arm. Smoke exploded from the design, surrounding Orochimaru for a moment before receding to reveal a rather large Cobra uncoiling on the floor, immediately hissing at Sasuke. It raised its head, ending up about as tall as Orochimaru's chest, revealing the large scroll in its mouth. It spit the scroll in Sasuke's direction, and he dodged it on instinct.

"Pick it up, Sasuke-kun. It is the contract for all the serpents who have ever agreed to be summoned, which I started myself, since snakes have never been summoned for battle before, because of their unfair advantages. Sign your name in blood, as well as your handprint, and then let's see just how well that Sharingan of yours can copy my methods."

Sasuke did as told, noting the two other signatures; Orochimaru's, and Mitarashi Anko's. He stepped back, concentrating on what he'd seen with the Sharingan, allowing his movements to be guided by the memory. His chakra swirled and focused on his hands. Eyes closed, he tried to bite his thumb hard enough, drawing blood on the second try.

_"I have to get this right, I have to prove the Sharingan's abilities"_, he thought.

Imagining the seal of the contract and the hand seals Orochimaru had used; Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and finally, Sheep, he lowered the bleeding finger to the ground, feeling an instant reaction. Something soft formed within the smoke as it cleared.

Opening his eyes, ready for anything, Sasuke stared at the wriggling creature on the floor. It looked more like a worm than a snake. Only about as long as its summoner's finger, the small snake hissed something resembling the words, _"Hey", "Idiot", "Rattle"_, and _"TAIL!"_

Feeling a bit less dignified, Sasuke leaned forward for a closer look, keeping his face bored, but unable to hide the surprise in his eyes. The small serpent did indeed resemble a rattlesnake, but it was only as long as a baby one, yet it looked more like a shrunken adult rattlesnake without a rattle, a fact that it looked _very_ upset about. It hissed and glared as much as it could, but it was too small to really understand its words. Straightening up a bit, sensing Orochimaru's stare at his back, Sasuke stood back up without facing the Sannin, ignoring the quiet chuckle that echoed through the room.

The laughter became more deliberate, until Orochimaru stopped and said, "Really, Sasuke-kun, I expected better from that Sharingan of yours. Did you not focus your chakra as I asked? If you make such an error with one of the more powerful snakes, they will never show you respect or fear. Channel more chakra into the blood, and less on the rest of your hand. Use more blood as well, a slightly larger seal makes a larger portal between the dimensions. Now try again."

Sasuke nodded slightly and dragged his bleeding finger through his teeth again, looking at the wound and focusing chakra solely on it, until it glowed faintly. He decided to keep his eyes open to use the Sharingan, allowing it to control his movements. He focused a second branch of chakra on the Sharingan, so that half was on his bloody finger, and half in his eyes. Imagining a black snake about two feet long, he focused and touched the ground, whispering the name of the jutsu. When the smoke cleared, a dark gray snake, about the length of his foot, was glaring back.

"_Who the hell are you?! Where's my real master, you idiot!_"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the serpent. Beginner or not, these snakes were _not_ going to address him this way. Pinching his fingers under the jaw of the serpent, he restrained and lifted the little snake to eye level. **The snake was not impressed.** It shook its tongue at Sasuke, and vanished in another poof of smoke. Clenching his fists, Sasuke stood again.

Orochimaru sounded bored as he said, "Very well, Sasuke-kun. It appears my servants are wary of a second master. They should show you their respect before you attempt to summon them again. Perhaps we should have them introduce themselves together, ne?"

Sasuke shrugged and took a step closer. The Sannin performed a second summoning, creating a larger cloud of smoke. It cleared to show four vicious-looking snakes, each about the length of a human arm. They slithered in a circle around Orochimaru, then raised their heads, then introduced themselves in raspy hisses.

"I'm Fidelis", said the pale yellow/brown one.

"Velox", hissed the black, scaly one.

"Mortifer", toned the larger black one with sword-like fangs.

"Dolosus", whispered the brown and black one.

"_Latin names..._" thought Sasuke. The snakes circled close for a moment, then lunged at Sasuke as one, fangs barred and hissing dangerously.

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Author's Note: (_Sapphire_) Hey, guys. I'm really sorry about the long wait. **This will be a two-part chapter**, because I didn't wanna keep you guys waiting any longer. I had total writer's block, and I needed inspiration. This chapter feels a bit worse than the others, but there'll be more action in Part 2. 

I know its been over a week since Sasuke arrived by now, and I tried doing one about switching bases, but it didn't work. I need ideas on that. You guys can suggest anything you want in reviews, PMs, or whatever. We'll try to expand on any ideas we get. Thanks for the reviews and favs.

P.S: Try to figure out which snake will actually get through Sasuke's defenses and manage to bite him; its in their names.

P.P.S: Narroch, if you're reading this, could we work together for part two of this chapter? It sounded like you've been pretty busy, so I didn't want to add more. :)

_**Please review, guys! Thanks!**_

_-Sapphire_


	8. To Summon a Serpent, part II

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 8: To Summon a Serpent, part II

_By Sapphire_

Quick note: Fidelis:- Loyal; Velox:- Quick; Mortifer:- Deadly; Dolosus:- Cunning. Kudos to "TheGypsyGirl" for getting it right!

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"I'm Fidelis", said the pale yellow/brown one.

"Velox", hissed the black, scaly one.

"Mortifer" toned the larger black one with sword-like fangs.

"Dolosus" whispered the brown and black one.

The four serpents lunged as one at Sasuke, the sword-like fangs of Mortifer clearly in front. Dolosus was practically tying the others close together. Sasuke simply jumped back and formed the familiar seals for his second-nature jutsu, whispering its name, although it was unnecessary, and it gave away his intentions. _"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"_ Running forward, he let the flames build up within him, holding them in as long as he could. Sharingan eyes blazing, he jumped, dodged the snakes in midair, turned over and released the flames from his lungs as hard as he could. The blaze was so bright, even the Sharingan couldn't see past them. Allowing his own momentum to guide his flip, he flipped right around the bundle of charging snakes, frying them from all sides.

Dolosus, who had been tying the other snakes together, took the most damage and vanished instantly. The other two snakes quickly followed even before their charred bodies landed. Sasuke landed, trying to see through both kinds of smoke to figure out which one remained, faintly hearing Orochimaru whispering a new jutsu somewhere behind him. Eyes widening, he jumped away before Orochimaru's newest serpent summon attacked from behind. Landing and glaring at the new serpent, he noticed that this one was about 20 feet long, and about as thick as three grown men side-by-side. Its distinct purple scales resembled its master in more ways than one. This was Manda's son…

The moment it moved, the Sharingan deduced that it was going to attempt an anaconda-style attack. Jumping forward and to the right where the snake couldn't reach, he noticed he was headed toward the wall of the room, hidden by shadows. As he landed, the huge snake hissed, creating an air current through the room. As it died down, an echo sounded off to Sasuke's side, and he turned his head just in time to notice a badly-charred Velox diving straight for his neck.

Cornered by Manda's son, Sasuke froze as Velox bit hard on the right side of his neck, opposite the Cursed Seal of Heaven on the left side Legs collapsing more from the thought of the dangerous venom a summon of Orochimaru's could produce than from fear, his hands closed around Velox's torso as the snake injected its venom into his neck. A wave of disorientation triggered a second fear as he realized the serpent was sucking on his chakra.

Fighting through a flashback of Akado Yoroi absorbing his chakra in a similar way, Sasuke yanked the serpent off his neck, wincing as the fangs dragged deeper wounds in his neck. Staring into the injured snake's eyes, he wondered if his Sharingan could bring him anywhere near the snake's mind, even though it wasn't a Mangekyo. If he had the Mangekyo, he would have at least one serpent under his control at the moment. His tempting thoughts were interrupted by Manda's son charging straight for him.

Still clutching poor Velox by the neck, he flipped off the wall and away from the enormous snake, briefly wondering where Orochimaru was watching all this from. Considering the consequences of landing or falling onto the Sannin because he wasn't watching where he was going, he checked around him, but Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen, although he could almost _feel_ those piercing eyes on him from somewhere.

Grabbing a kunai, he chucked it towards the huge snake's right eye, forcing it to change directions to save its eye, as it was so large it was obviously having trouble maneuvering through the small room. As it skidded to a stop, Sasuke tossed Velox, confused and exhausted, straight into the large snake's path. Hearing Velox's bones being crushed under the snake, Sasuke moved away, trying to form a Chidori that could burn straight through the large snake's neck. Another wave of dizziness brought up the facts that Velox had sucked up more chakra than he'd realized, and the venom was beginning to do whatever it was supposed to do. He powered down his Sharingan to save energy for a few minutes.

A glance at his bloody finger showed him that he only had one other option, the new Kuchiyose no Jutsu. With a mental slap for not realizing that this is what Orochimaru wanted him to do from the very beginning, he began to visualize a snake large enough to take on Manda's son. He visualized a color that was a mixture of the color of Velox's black scales and the color of his own blood, and matched that color to a snake that was as big as Manda's son, who was currently looking with regret at Velox's body.

Somehow, a combination of his photographic memory and the Sharingan produced a mental image of a snake who was dark red with black stripes and piercing blood-red eyes. It was a bit smaller, but strong, powerful, and… female? Oh well, whatever. Perhaps he had absorbed something from Velox's mind after all. Focusing on the image of the female serpent and trying to hurry before he collapsed from the venom running through his veins, Sasuke headed for the shadows to attempt a summoning. Firing up the Sharingan again, he sank to the floor, directing all the energy he had left into his eyes.

Feeling another pulse of dizziness from the venom, he thought of just how weak he probably looked at the moment. The thought brought up an image of Itachi's hateful eyes. He put the usual hatred and anger that arose from that thought into directing more chakra to his eyes. Almost growling in anger, he glared at Manda's son, who seemed to be bored and wondering if it should attack or just leave.

Sasuke wiped some blood from his neck with his bleeding finger and made the seals. Replacing the image of the snake in front of him with Itachi's defeated form for motivation, he thought of as many details of the female snake as he could, imaging whatever he couldn't see. Closing his eyes, he focused the chakra and performed the jutsu.

Just as Manda's son decided to attack one more time to make sure it didn't get a second master, a large puff of smoke exploded from under Sasuke's hands. All three pairs of eyes in the room focused on the uncoiling female serpent.

"…Sister?", asked Manda's son.

The female serpent smirked, showing a red diamond-shaped gem on its forehead.

"Well, this is new. Have we ever been pitted against each other, Brother? And who's the brat? I never _did_ get to pay you back for being Father's favorite…", she added with a hiss.

The fraternal twin sibling serpents began circling each other.

"You are the only being I do not wish to fight, Sister."

"But you're the _**only**_ being I wish to fight, dear Brother. I could never have gotten out of that damn prison if it weren't for that little brat tapping into our realm. Such a young child was easy to manipulate telepathically. One image of myself and he willingly calls me out!"

Sasuke took a step back in the suddenly crowded room as both siblings turned to stare at him. He could sense Orochimaru moving closer.

"Now, dear Brother, time to finish what I started…", she hissed, eyes glowing red and advancing on her intimidated brother, forehead gem beginning to glow.

"_Ut vestri absolute vinco , ego to order vos ut reverto ut vestri carcer!_", hissed Orochimaru, appearing behind her, his long hair rising from energy being directed into the spell.

The female snake hissed and turned towards the Sannin, diving in for an attack before hissing in pain and vanishing in a poof of smoke. Orochimaru's expression relaxed before he took one look at Sasuke and burst into laughter. Manda's son, deciding that he was no longer needed nor remembered, vanished as well.

Sasuke's glare intensified as did his fists. He would _**not**_ be laughed at! Tapping his foot impatiently, he waited for the Sannin to calm. The laughter was downright creepy, and a strange sound for the normally smooth yet slightly raspy voice. Finally, Orochimaru calmed and met the Uchiha's eyes again.

"Sasuke-kun, do you have _any_ idea what you have just done? I give you an exercise to test out your new Kuchiyose no jutsu, and you run around, **burn** four of my servants, **destroy** half the room, and manage to get yourself _**poisoned**_ by venom before finally summoning the only criminally insane serpent who is _**not**_ in the contract!"

Sasuke's carefully masked embarrassment began to show just the slightest bit. Orochimaru sighed before continuing in a calmer voice.

"The serpent you finally summoned was Manda's youngest daughter. She has a very limited ability to control an opponent's mind for a very short time. You noticed her forehead, I trust? She was…_corrupted_ by an enemy quite a long time ago, and turned against me. Rather than anger Manda by killing her, I banished her to a prison within the realm of summoned creatures.

It seems she sensed your pitiful attempts at summoning and reached out to you in order to be freed. It worked all too well, Sasuke-kun. To allow your brilliant mind to be manipulated by a SERPENT of all things!"

Sasuke looked away, keeping up the angry expression. Excuses would only make him seem even weaker. And he was feeling weak, as well. What kind of venom had Velox bitten him with, anyway?

"LOOK at me when I speak to you! You will return here after I leave, and master the Kuchiyose no jutsu alone. I do not wish to speak with you until you have at least seven serpents at your command. Understand? Now return to your room, I can see the venom so clearly affecting you. We will have to work on building up your tolerance for that later."

With that, Orochimaru himself vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving Sasuke free to collapse to the floor for a minute. A plate of food and some water was waiting for him when he finally returned to his room.

**------Chapter end-----------**

Author's note (_Sapphire_): Yay! I wrote this whole short arc alone! But credit to my friend, 'livinglife', for helping with the general idea. I'm really sorry on the time it took to write this chapter. AP classes take a lot of my time, and I figured Narroch was in a pretty similar boat. Also, I've just posted a new Justice League oneshot. If you like creepy, sadistic, telepathic bad guys, go read it. :)

Anyway, the spell Orochimaru used was just an online Latin translation for "As your absolute master, I command you to return to your prison." I know its not very fancy, but these online translators have a way of having so many mistakes your teacher notices right away. At least, that's what happened with my crazy spanish teacher. Also, if any of you guys skipped around this chapter, **at least read the seventh-to-last paragraph, where Oro's yelling.** I cracked up so many times while I was writing that.

Possibly up next: Kabuto returns, this time with needles full of venom! Dun dun dun... And perhaps a check-up on poor, crushed-up Velox. :) Also, there's this place at the end of my profile/bio with update info... It's been there for quite awhile.

Thanks to Marysmary, -Bista-, sn1ck3rD00dl3, Kaira-chan15, livinglife, lynn42693, EvilS., Shadow Lunis, Kakashis-First-Kiss, LostForever06, and TheGypsyGirl for reviewing! Much love and brownies to you guys! Keep 'em coming! Thanks for all the other hits and favs as well, I'm glad you guys like it.

**-_Sapphire_**


	9. Queen of the Chained

**Curse of the Snake**

Chapter 9: Queen of the Chained

_By Narroch and Sapphire_

Sasuke figured his hand was probably infected by now. His bleeding thumb was covered in sand, and turning a dark puce around the over used cut. He'd moved onto other fingers, which produced worse summonings and reduced sensation until his fingertips felt like numb stumps. There were summoning circles of blood scattered throughout the room's large floor. Once, when he'd placed his hand within the radius of another circle, the whole thing had exploded, leaving nothing but a scorched snakeskin and a blinded, singed Sasuke. 

The summonings were generally improving, but the snakes seemed to be working together in their own little dimension, making sure to teleport right back after being summoned. The summoning smoke had barely cleared when they willed themselves to vanish in another cloud of smoke, before he had the chance to grab it or otherwise restrain it. Apparently, signing the contract only gave him access to the snake dimension. Actually controlling the summons depended on his personal ability, something that the snakes apparently weren't very impressed with.

Sasuke narrowed his blazing eyes in anger at the spot where the previous arrogant little snake had vanished with a warning hiss and flash of fangs. How was he supposed to control them when they instantly disappeared? Servants do not play games with their master! He was going to gain their respect through fear, if through no other way. 

Forming a grin over clenched teeth, he pricked a new finger with the kunai, while focusing on forming a Chidori with the other hand as soon as the Kuchiyose occurred. He'd never seen anyone else perform a Kuchiyose while using a different jutsu, so he decided not to charge it up before.

Slamming the bleeding finger on the dirt, he grasped the emerging snake as it appeared. Immediately forming a small Chidori current in the other hand, he sent it charging through the small, still blinded snake. It writhed and hissed, and finally glared at him, smoke rising from its skin. He stared straight into its slanted eyes.

"_Where are the others?_" he demanded.

"They're hiding from you, stupid. None of us want a second master. One Orochimaru-sama is enough." the snake began twisting its body around Sasuke's arm as it hissed, unable to do anything else since Sasuke had it by the neck, too close to its head to attempt biting him.

"I am NOTHING like him. How many others are there?"

"What am I, your personal spy? Leave me alone!"

Sasuke glared and sent another Chidori current through it, grimacing when the voltage was partly transferred to his own arm through the snake's scales. It hissed and dangled limp for a moment before re-tightening its coils threateningly saying,

"There are no snakes that you can summon that will ever agree to serving you, even if you can threaten them. Not even the weakest snakeling would consent to serving anyone else. Orochimaru-sama would kill any serpent not loyal to him."

Sasuke's grip tightened considerably, and he was tempted to throw the snake against the wall and watch it burn. If what he was saying was true, this entire exercise was just another trick, another pointless exercise in futility. Orochimaru knew none of the snakes would listen to him no matter what he did, because they were all loyal to him! Orochimaru was probably laughing at him even now, knowing he would never succeed. His anger erupted at the thought that he was being used, that he had already wasted so much time! 

He turned back to the snake writhing around his arm and trying to keep his voice level asked another question. 

"So, what you are saying, is that summons can't be used simultaneously by two different people." 

"You can summon us all day and night, but we would rather bite you than be caught obeying you. We will always default to the stronger summoner, which obviously isn't you. The only way we would ever listen to you, would be if Orochimaru-sama told us to." 

Sasuke suddenly understood and the meaning made him nearly sick. The snake also seemed to catch on when he saw Sasuke's blanched face and began to laugh, a whistling hiss that pulsed around Sasuke's captured arm.

"Hehehehe, you foolish boy! I see what's going on! You can keep summoning all of us! Keep it up, we can jump back and forth all day, and then when you are finally out of chakra, you can crawl back on your knees and beg Orochimaru-sama for a snake since you are so incompetent on your own! Hehehe, the proud Uchiha on the ground licking Orochimaru-sama's feet, or maybe...licking something else..."

At this point, the snake released a coil, bringing it's tail up towards its mouth and began flicking its forked tongue out to lick at it and insert the tip into its mouth in a surprisingly convincing mockery of fellatio. Sasuke threw the serpent away in disgust and anger, as if it had burned his hand, unable to control himself. The snake hit the wall hard, and slipped to the floor in a pile, obviously hurt but still laughing at the vulgar taunt. 

Sasuke was beyond angry at this point. It was one thing swallowing his pride and allowing Orochimaru to deride him on a daily basis, but he would be dead before he let a snake disrespect him like that. He strode forward pulling out a kunai, ready to cut the reptile in half with it. 

The snake gathered itself up, took a defensive strike position and glared at the approaching ninja. 

"Go ahead and kill me, it won't change your position! No matter what, you are still going to have to be his bitch if you..." 

The snake wasn't able to finish his sentence as a kunai suddenly pierced his skull and he imploded in a puff of smoke. 

Sasuke fell to his knees with an enraged cry, slamming both fists into the ground in his frustration. There was just no way to win it seemed! He couldn't control any of the snakes because Orochimaru already did! He would probably expect Sasuke to give up eventually and then beg for help, just as the snake had said. And even if he could control a few snakes after that, they would still be under Orochimaru's control, liable to betray him at any time if he did something that displeased the Sannin. He needed his own summons, ones that weren't possessed by Orochimaru, but unfortunately, he did not know of any, or how to find them on his own. Summoning another snake and asking would be pointless, it was quite clear that they had no desire to help him. 

Then suddenly, realization dawned on him as he remembered that he _did _in fact know of a snake still free from Orochimaru's influences. The huge psychotic female, Manda's youngest daughter. 

Would it be worth the risk to summon _her_? Even Orochimaru himself had to use a spell to suppress her, and she didn't seem like the type to talk...

But, there was no other way it seemed, this was the only loophole to Orochimaru's cruel game, and Sasuke was tired of playing; he was willing to take it. 

He had analyzed every detail of the blood-red snake when he had summoned her before, and his Sharingan could recall the image perfectly in his mind. He pictured her now, huge, red, powerful, and allowing a generous amount of blood to pool in his hand, he slammed his palm down. 

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_" 

The smoke filled the room completely, and for a moment he wasn't sure it worked. But after a few seconds of coughing, he looked up and could see her coiled up, filling most of the underground room. 

She glanced around, hissing angrily, raising her head till her spiky eye ridges touched the ceiling. 

"Who summoned me into this tiny wretched hole!"

Sasuke took a small step backwards, overwhelmed by her anger, and she suddenly whipped her head around sensing even that tiny vibration through the floor. 

"Ah, so it's you again, little mouse." She slithered forward, coils undulating until she had stretched out enough to encircle the room with her dark striped body, leaving Sasuke trapped in the middle. 

"I never did thank you before for calling me out to face my brother. Unfortunately, our battle was interrupted, and I was SO hoping to face him..."

Her head now raised contemplatively, inching closer and closer to Sasuke. 

"And so, when I felt your summon this time, I was _certain _I would be getting a rematch. Instead I find myself in this tiny dirty hovel with nothing to amuse me but a weak insignificant man..."

She flicked her tongue out, thick as Sasuke's forearm, and then snorted. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're not even a man, just a scared little boy."

And it was true, Sasuke was scared, he was terrified. She was pouring off such an intense bloodlust, and every time he glanced into her eyes, the gem on her forehead flashed and he could feel her prodding his mind and coating it in fear. But Sasuke had an advantage in that he had already been victim to the most powerful mind jutsu several times, and he was able to stand up to her diluted probing. He activated his Sharingan to help ward off her internal advances. 

She paused as soon as she saw his red eyes. This helped encourage him, and he forced the tremors to die down in his stomach. He knew he would have to use all of his will to control her. 

"I summoned you, therefore I am your master." 

She immediately puffed up and hissed, drawing her head back in the typical 'S' striking pose. 

"No mere human can be MY master! Especially one who looks so helplessly edible. However, I would be willing to have a pet perhaps. A toy maybe...with such pretty red eyes..."

Without any other warning, her body tightened, drawing the circle closed around Sasuke and tightening the coil until he was gasping in pain, unable to move any of his limbs. 

"Such a beautiful color, I wonder how a little mouse like you got those eyes..." 

She slowly flicked her black tongue out, extending it slowly until the tips were poised right over his eyes. He squirmed, trying to back away from the slimy appendage, but it did no good, so instead he tightly closed his eyes even if it meant losing his vision for a moment. She rumbled in displeasure, and suddenly tightened like a vice, until Sasuke's bones creaked and he felt like his eyes would pop from his sockets. His eyes were wrenched open by the pain and he was suddenly assailed with a stinging wet tongue caressing his naked eye. 

"Agh! Get off me, you fucking snake!" 

He violently shook his head, Sharingan flashing dangerously. The snake chuckled, and Sasuke felt every tremor squeeze his body. She opened her jaw, fangs bared and dripping venom. Sasuke immediately stopped moving, aware of how dangerous those teeth were. 

"I wonder... Will you survive if I do this?"

She lightly pressed the tip of a hollow fang on his chest, the venom dripping out instantly burning a hole through his shirt. He took a shallow breath, twisting back as far as he could.

"Ah, no I suppose not... Humans are so frail after all."

Sasuke had enough of being beaten up by snakes. He was still scared, still trapped, but despite the situation he knew he had to stand up for himself and prove himself if he wanted to be master. With the only option available to him, he opened his mouth wide and bit into the snakes scales. 

She jerked and gave an indignant scream, instantly releasing him and flinging him across the room to smack into the stone wall. She whipped her tail out and slapped him across the face, so hard that he was slammed to the floor. 

"_Get up..._" she hissed, her tone losing its playful taunting edge, now angry and dangerous. 

Sasuke, grunted, tasting blood in his mouth and struggled to stand on his feet. As soon as he stumbled upright, she slammed him down again. 

"_Get up!_" 

Sasuke stood. The snake struck. He stood again, she struck again. And again, and again, and again. 

"What do you _want _from me?" she shrieked as he stood up once again, trembling and dripping blood like rain. 

"Obey...me..." 

"FUCK that!" she thundered, baring fangs. 

"I'm...your...master..."

"I have no master, especially not YOU!" 

She struck like lightening, Sasuke didn't even realize he had been bitten until the deep burning of venom filled his arm. 

"I have no master, because no one can survive me! Now die like the rat you are, weak, alone, in darkness..." 

And with that, she vanished. Her smoke and psychotic laughing lingering in the air long after she had gone. Sasuke slumped over, vision swimming until everything went black. 

* * *

**Author's notes: (Narroch) **_Happy St. Patrick's Day, guys._

**(Sapphire):**_ Guys, thank Narroch for getting this chapter up and complete! I just had a few crazy ideas about Manda's daughter, and some of the stuff at the beginning, but she really tied it together and made it this awesome. Most of the dialogue is her awesome writing. So, thanks to her, I'm over my writer's block, and now we can finally move on to the venom chapter!_

Now, before anyone complains, I know there's another story, **_"The Art of Being Used", by _Phoenix Elentari,**and there's a chapter where _Kabuto_ falls under the influence of hallucinogenic compounds, so I'm going to try to avoid any similarites between that fic and the next chapter of this.

Also, last and not least, I'm sorry for taking so long with this update. Writer's block, we've all experienced it, right? Finally, thanks to all my reviewers:

Tsukiko Yamshita, Felidae131, Leon, brightgreenskribbles, -Bista-, Shadow Lunis, Octavia Andrea Tucker-Harrison, Kaira-chan15, LostForever06, TheGypsyGirl, SpacePirateGirl, Kakashis-First-Kiss, and livinglife

Much love and green cookies and St. Pat's day beads to you all!

PS: To any fellow Anne Rice: Vampire Chronicles fans, the chapter title, "Queen of the Chained", is a rip off from one of my fav books! It just fit somehow. :)

-Sapphire and Narroch


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